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During a typical YES Certification of a server or workstation, the Gold Master (GM) release of SUSE Linux Enterprise with the latest Service Pack (SP) is installed on the hardware during certification tests. Sometimes, the GM release needs specific fixes or updates in order to be compatible with a particular hardware platform. As hardware systems …

An installation or driver kit from SUSE is simply a method to deliver the latest SUSE Linux Enterprise related drivers or other software in a packaged and supported bootable image. Installation kits can be used for any of the following reasons: To update storage drivers, which require very early loading in the installation and boot …

The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a cryptographic component of many enterprise-class servers. TPM is an integral part of hardware-based security in these servers, providing tasks such as user authentication, remote access and data protection. System functions such as Intel® Trusted Execution Technology (Intel TXT) use TPM enhancements to help deliver system security. TPM 2.0 …

The easy answer is nope—no way! That comes from a person with years of YES CERTIFICATION experience, not some Rogue person who suddenly has their Force Awaken one day! Please read on, because “Fear is the path to the dark side” and “Hard to see, the Dark Side is!” In a previous, multi-part set of …

In a recent blog I discussed the transition from BIOS (Basic Input Output System) to UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) firmware from a hardware perspective. In this blog I’ll address the comparison from the operating system perspective. There is a definite overlap between each …

For the past several years, x86 hardware systems (including desktops, laptops, workstations and servers) have been transitioning from BIOS-based (Basic Input Output System-based) to UEFI-based (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface-based) firmware interfaces. This firmware interface is usually just called “system firmware.” It is the initial code that recognizes the hardware components in the system and initializes …

Where can you find the certification bulletins for more than 47,200 servers, workstations and other hardware components? How can you determine whether your company’s specific hardware is YES Certified with the latest SUSE Linux Enterprise release? Where can you find the specific hardware configuration for the certified server you are planning to buy and deploy …

New x86 server processor technology is currently released on roughly a 12-to-15 month schedule. That means that approximately every 18 months there is a major x86-architecture update available from server vendors. Variants of these major processor updates, with different feature sets and/or speeds, are also released in-between the 12-to-15 month release cycle. Desktop and laptop …

In this and the next several blog entries I will explain SUSE YES Certification testing under the covers: specific tests in SUSE YES Certification which are not fully documented on the certification bulletin. This discussion covers the power management features in SUSE Linux Enterprise that are tested on hardware during certification. Through YES Certification the …

In this and the next several blog entries I will explain SUSE YES Certification testing under the covers: specific tests in SUSE YES Certification which are not fully documented on the certification bulletin. This discussion covers the capture of Kdump memory images and how hardware is validated for crashkernel capture functionality during certification. Through YES …